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| Gael Garcia Bernal |
Welcome to the weekly column Trailing Off in which I take a look at a trailer from the past week and analyze its potential. This will be done using an obnoxious amount of analyzing and personal thoughts on the cast and crew as well as expectations. Coming every Sunday (it's called Trailing Off for a reason), I will attempt to highlight films ranging from new blockbusters to lesser known indies and give them their due. Partially to spread awareness, I do believe that there is an art to the sell and will do my best to highlight why these trailers matter or don't with approval (trove) or disapproval (trash). So please stop by, recommend some trailers, and I will see you next time.
Trailer in Discussion
Directed By: Jon Stewart
Written By: Jon Stewart (Screenplay), Maziar Bahari (Book), and Aimee Molloy (Book)
Stars: Gael García Bernal, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Golshifteh Farahani
- Preamble -
There is one unfortunate side effect with having a care in late night that requires daily participation. There is little chance for a career to happen outside of it. Maybe a cameo here or there in a film or TV series, but otherwise, an acting career is out of the question. It befell the likes of Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. It is both a blessing and a curse as the personalities begin to take shape and create something so time consuming that any need for another project is unlikely. Basically, late night is a career finisher for almost everyone that touches it. There have been limited exceptions, but the men who have a set routine night after night isn't likely to wind up making feature length films and producing something that audiences would care about.
This is why it was a big deal when The Daily Show host Jon Stewart announced that he would be taking the summer off to work on directing his first film. This lead John Oliver to briefly take over with hosting duties and helped pave the way for his invaluable work on Last Week Tonight. However, the notion that Stewart would have that ambition is phenomenal and makes his latest film a rather appetizing concoction. What will be made of the man best known for skewering politics and featuring some of the greatest political satirists in American comedy? Will he do a straight-up comedy, or will he end up making something provocative and full of importance?
I haven't actually paid attention to the film in any of its progress. It isn't one that has kept me excited. I am more curious how a comedian of his stature would pull off the directing duties more than the film itself. However, with the film starting to premiere at festivals and the potential for it to be an Oscar nominated film, this may be an unlikely triumph for Stewart. With his excessively knowledgeable access to political history, he may be more tapped into making a film with a more biting message than the average director. Either that, or his work as an on-air talent will not pay off and it will be a muddy mess. It is kind of exciting to see which way things go.
- Dissection -
As expected, his film appears to be a very political message with Gael Garcia Bernal in the lead role. It appears to be the story of an activist going to Iran and running into a lot of particular issues. For starters, there is a cry to not have social media and connection with the outside world. There appears to be a need to silence the media and not make a difference with any social structures. From the looks of it, it will focus on contemporary issues involving freedom and how to survive in modern society. Also, Bernal looks to be having a fun time even in the face of danger. It is a strange turn, but helps to give the trailer some personality.
For the most part, it hits all of the beats expected by Stewart. Bernal is an actual journalist, much like Stewart. They seek to report on the story and are shocked when they have to overlook some details. It feels like the cross between what Stewart has done on a nightly basis and what his profession has to suffer with in foreign countries. It makes plenty of sense why he would want to tackle such hard subject matter. It already seems ingrained in his personality. What once seemed unassuming is starting to take an interesting shape.
The one benefit is that Stewart's direction already looks accomplished enough. While there aren't any technical flourishes, he does have pretty solid cinematography. He makes the scenery come to life and turns hallways into artistic prisons. There's so much to admire about the way that the film was shot and reflects some sort of passion. There's a mixture of social media in the works that has become a novelty effect, but could easily work in the given context of the film.
All that really has to be done now is wait to see what the critics say. With the film set for a November release, there is a strong chance that it will be playing up for Oscar nominations. Seeing as it looks and acts like Argo or Zero Dark Thirty, it does have an immediate appeal. It also feels like a political film that is about more than terrorism. There's discussions of freedom and desires that become immediately clear and hit a wider audience. It is something that feels more authentic and Stewart surprisingly brings out a striking look into something that he reports on nightly.
For the most part, it hits all of the beats expected by Stewart. Bernal is an actual journalist, much like Stewart. They seek to report on the story and are shocked when they have to overlook some details. It feels like the cross between what Stewart has done on a nightly basis and what his profession has to suffer with in foreign countries. It makes plenty of sense why he would want to tackle such hard subject matter. It already seems ingrained in his personality. What once seemed unassuming is starting to take an interesting shape.
The one benefit is that Stewart's direction already looks accomplished enough. While there aren't any technical flourishes, he does have pretty solid cinematography. He makes the scenery come to life and turns hallways into artistic prisons. There's so much to admire about the way that the film was shot and reflects some sort of passion. There's a mixture of social media in the works that has become a novelty effect, but could easily work in the given context of the film.
All that really has to be done now is wait to see what the critics say. With the film set for a November release, there is a strong chance that it will be playing up for Oscar nominations. Seeing as it looks and acts like Argo or Zero Dark Thirty, it does have an immediate appeal. It also feels like a political film that is about more than terrorism. There's discussions of freedom and desires that become immediately clear and hit a wider audience. It is something that feels more authentic and Stewart surprisingly brings out a striking look into something that he reports on nightly.
- One Sentence Sell -
Jon Stewart makes his directorial debut with a film that explores the freedoms of journalists and citizens in this striking, beautiful film lead by Gael Garcia Bernal.
- Trove or Trash -
TROVE
If I wasn't excited before, I definitely have reached a peak in curiosity. As someone who doesn't watch The Daily Show with some regularity, I didn't actually care about the film. When the trailer was released, I didn't initially check it out either. However, with it taking film festivals by storm and potentially becoming one of the best films of the year, my curiosity has risen and with the striking imagery and interesting plot beats, I am sold on this film potentially being something more than another average story of political freedoms in foreign countries.
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